Just Dance!
by SilveryMoons
Summary: A dance class wasn't on the top of Helga's list of classes to take. But what do you get when most of the gang is forced to take it for their freshmen year elective? Injuries, romance, sexual tension, resentment, and all around craziness! One crazy semester can sure change a lot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So, I have about 3 summer projects this year, two that are completely my choice, and another for school that I should really be working on, but instead, I'm working on one that I actually feel like doing. Ever since I finished "The Love Note," I've pretty much been killing myself trying to think of a new plot line for a fresh, new story…one that's even better than my first one. Will it work out? We'll see, but that's for you guys to tell me. So read and review, or not. The first choice would be the good choice, though. Oh, and as a side note, this story has _nothing _to do with High School Musical. The lyrics fit the summary though, so why not?

**Disclaimer: **I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own HA!, because if I did, Helga and Arnold would be dating already, duh.

---

"Good morning, Hillwood High," a friendly voice came on the intercom, "I trust that you all had a very fun and safe summer. For those who don't know me, I'm your principal Mr. Harris. This is just a brief announcement for everyone before the bell rings and a new, exciting school year begins. All freshmen please report to the cafeteria for the deliverance of your schedules. All other students, please report to your designated homeroom that you received in your mail. Thank you, and have a great first day."

Although the hallway was quite wide, it wasn't easy to push your way through the crowd. The seniors who now believed they owned the school stood in the very middle, doing most of the traffic blocking, while the juniors and sophomores weren't much nicer. It was most of the freshmen, however, who did most of the bumping into everyone.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," a tall, slender blonde muttered as she stoof by the entrance. "What, these nimrods think they can just block the whole damn hallway?" She scoffed, beginning to make her way through the crowd. "Not if I can do anything to stop it."

"Hey watch it, you little freshman!" a sophomore shouted in her direction.

"Who does she think she is?" a senior boy said amongst his friends.

The girl stopped in her tracks, causing another girl behind her to stumble a bit. She made her way back to the boy, hovering over him by just an inch or two. "You wanna know who I am?" The boy remained silent. "I'm Helga G. Pataki, vice president of the student council back in middle school, one of the few eighth graders in the school to make the honor roll, and one of the most valuable players on the baseball team. And one more important thing. I may be a freshman, but I'm willing to pound you if you give me any reason to. Any other questions?"

The boy's friends stood there looking dumbfounded, surprised by her attitude. "Yeah, uh…what's the G stand for?"

Letting a hollow chuckle escape from her mouth, Helga inched just a little closer to him. "It stands for Get the heck outta my face before you're the first person I make cry today, got it?" With a slight shove, the girl walked away from him and continued pushing past everyone in the hallway who was blocking her path until she heard a voice calling her name. "Helga!"

Turning around, a smile finally appeared on her face. "Hey Pheebs, what's up?"

The petite, Asian girl smiled back, happy to have finally caught up with her best friend. "Nothing out of the ordinary. I spent most of my summer preparing for all of the AP classes that I'm taking this year. Gosh, there's AP English, AP Biology, AP U.S. History, Math…"

"Did you take AP Lunch, too?" Helga interrupted as she rolled her eyes slightly.

Despite Helga's sarcasm, Phoebe giggled in response. "I'm quite excited to see my schedule, aren't you? I mean, I've heard that freshmen rarely get the classes they choose, but I figured I'm unfortunately one of the very few students who decided to take all AP courses."

"As long as they don't try to put me in some bogus class, I don't care. Law and Society is the only class I really wanted to take."

"Wow, Helga. I never knew you would be interested in that. However, if my calculations were correct, more than fifty percent of the student body want to take that class, as well."

"Well, those poor people will have to wait and take it next year, now won't they?" she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well um, yes…but most of that percentage is seniors, and the administration has made it perfectly clear that the seniors always get their first choice."

"Good for them," the blonde muttered losing interest in the topic.

Suddenly, Phoebe's face lit up as she looked over Helga's shoulder. "Look, Gerald and Arnold are coming."

"Arnold?" Helga practically shrieked, refusing to turn around.

"Hello Gerald, Arnold," Phoebe pleasantly greeted, blushing after Gerald grinned at her flirtatiously.

"Hey, Phoebe," Arnold replied smiling. His smile quickly faded, though, when he noticed that Helga was being surprisingly quiet. "You okay, Helga?"

Helga swung around swiftly to face the two boys, causing Arnold to jump a bit in surprise. "Of course I'm okay, you stupid Football Head! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know…you just seemed a little quiet, that's all."

"Gee, maybe that's because I'd rather not talk to you two losers, if that's alright with you?"

Gerald frowned now, and a look of annoyance spread across his face. "Hey, don't you…"

"Gerald, leave it alone," Arnold whispered, then sighed as he turned his attention back to Helga. "How was your summer?"

"Eh, okay. Same as any other summer, Hair Boy."

"Oh. Well, mine was really fun. The boarders and I tried to do a lot of summer projects, like home movies and a scrapbook. My grandpa tried to install an indoor pool, too…but…it didn't work out…"

"Did I ask you how your summer was, Arnold-o? No. So don't stand here and try to act like we're suddenly friends."

"But Helga, we're in high school now. We only have 4 more years until we graduate. Shouldn't you try to make friends with as many people as possible?" Phoebe offered.

"Uh, Phoebe. I'm not tryin' to be a downer, but this is Helga we're talking about here." Gerald said bluntly. "She'd rather make a whole new bunch of enemies."

"Hey, watch it pal! I'm assuming that you don't want a black eye on your first day back at school?"

Arnold sighed, interrupting the conversation. "Whatever. Gerald, you wanna go try and find the cafeteria before the bell rings?"

"Please, anything to get me away from this girl," Gerald pleaded as he began to walk away with his best friend. "See ya later, Phoebe."

"Bye, Gerald," Phoebe answered while flashing him a timid smile. Looking back at Helga, she asked, "want to try and find the cafeteria, as well? I'm not sure how much longer we have…"

"It's this way, Pheebs," Helga pointed in the opposite direction. "Those dorks don't know how to use a map, I tell ya. Feel free to nudge me if I start laughing when they walk in 5 minutes late. Let's go." With that, the blonde girl walked swiftly away from Phoebe.

"Coming!" she called after her, running in order to catch up.

---

"Line up single file at the table in the back to get your schedule!" an older teacher ordered.

"Single file?" Helga scoffed, "please. It'll be a cold day in Hell before I wait in this long of a line with these losers." Walking without a care in the world to the front of the line, she slammed her hand on the table and looked at the young, naïve looking teacher sitting behind the table.

"Miss, you can't just cut like that. You have to go to the back of the…"

"Save it, lady. I'm not waiting for God knows how long to get a stupid piece of paper."

Sighing in defeat, the woman picked up the stack of papers. "Name, please?"

"Helga Pataki."

Pulling out one of the schedules, she handed it to her. "Have a good day…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Walking away from the table, Helga found a place against the wall to stand where she could read her schedule. "Let's see. Block one Algebra…Block 2 Bio…Block 3 Lunch…Block 4...DANCE…?"

"Oh, you've gotten dance, too?" Phoebe asked happily. "It certainly wasn't my first choice, but the art of dance is beautiful, and…Helga?" She quickly scanned the cafeteria, only to see her best friend making her way towards the principal. "Oh, no…"

"Hello, young lady. Are you having any trouble?" Mr. Harris asked politely.

"You could say that again." Helga laughed, trying to make light of the situation. "When I made my schedule for this year, I clearly wrote down Law and Society. The funny thing is, Law and Society isn't on here for either semester. But Dance is. Honestly, can you picture me as a dancer?"

Pondering for a second, the elderly man smiled brightly at Helga. "I remember you! My daughter used to take ballet when she was in grade school, and I always saw you at her recitals…"

"Shut up!" Helga whispered harshly, then forced out a laugh when she saw the shocked look on the principal's face. "What I'm saying is, there's no way I can take this class. I'll fail the moment I walk in!"

"I'm sorry, but I know how full Law and Society is. Dance wasn't a very popular choice, surprisingly enough, so therefore we had to place a lot of students into the class. However, I do know that French was also a very unpopular choice, so if you'd like we can see if that'll fit into your schedule."

She shuddered at the memory of trying to learn French and the French ways when she pretended to be Cecile back in fourth grade. "No, there's no way I'm taking French. I wanted Law and Society, and that's what I'm gonna take!"

Mr. Harris's smile faded and was replaced with a stern look. "Well I'm sorry, but there's no way we can fit you into that class. Maybe you can get into it next year if you're lucky. But for now, you must settle with Dance. And don't try to tell me that you have no experience in it, either. If you have anymore serious problems, let me know." And with that, he walked away to help another student, leaving Helga alone.

"Look on the bright side, Helga," Arnold's voice came from beside her, "Phoebe's in the class, and so are Gerald and I, and a bunch of our other friends. I'm sure it'll be fun."

"Oh great, now I'm gonna be stuck with you and Tall Hair Boy? What can possibly go wrong next?"

"Just try not to be so negative about it. Besides, most of us already know about your ballet training…"

Holding her fist just inches away from Arnold's face, the girl's harsh tone turned into a shout. "If you say one more word about…you…you know what…I'll make sure you regret it, Football Head!"

Arnold rolled his eyes and smiled a bit flirtatiously. "Whatever you say, Helga. I just don't think you're as bad as you say you are." Before she could say anything else, he walked away to find Gerald.

Helga, who now stood there holding her fist up to no one, sighed deeply, putting her fist down slowly. "Maybe with a little bit of luck they'll teach us the Tango or something…" Smirking at the memory, Helga shoved her schedule into her pocket and went to find Phoebe to complain some more.

'_But with my angel in the class,' _she thought to herself, '_maybe it really won't be so bad. Maybe the teacher will partner us together, and once again I'll be lucky enough to have him hold me close, cheek to cheek, and I'll be able to see if he's still using that same shampoo, and…' _Swooning at the thought, Helga smiled to herself, only to have her thoughts interrupted by the familiar, annoying sound of heavy breathing behind her. As if on cue, she threw her fist back, causing Brainy to fall backwards onto the floor. "First punch of the school year, Brainy. Maybe we'll be able to beat last years' record."

---

**A/N: **Ah, okay…so this first chapter probably moved painfully slow for a lot of you. But obviously things will get more interesting as the chapters go on, so please don't lose interest yet! I'm curious myself to see where my imagination will go this time, haha. As for chapter 2, I will most definitely have it posted before I leave for vacation next Monday. (So, next Friday or Saturday, perhaps?) Until then, I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

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"Macaroni and cheese with spinach and mashed potatoes," Helga grumbled, giving the lunch lady a look of disgust and annoyance. "That sounds like a great combo. I just knew that the school lunches would be better in high school!" she added sarcastically.

"Sorry, hun. That's what's on the menu today. Take it or leave it."

Ignoring the woman's demand, the girl continued on rambling. "I mean, I'm not saying that the school needs to have fine dining and crap, but really? Mashed potatoes and this…this _disgusting _looking macaroni?"

"The vending machines are on, dear. Go grab some chips or somethin' if all you're gonna do is complain."

"Hey, frosh! Some of us _want _to eat lunch today!" an older girl standing next to Helga sneered.

Helga scoffed, looking the girl dead in the eye. "Good luck keeping all of it down. The spinach looks like it's been sitting here for weeks."

"Young lady, that'll be enough. Now do you want your milk or not?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." She handed the lady the exact change needed for the milk, then proceeded to make her way to the back table where Phoebe was sitting. "See, _you're _smart. You brought your own lunch."

"Well, yes. The school's food has never been exactly…healthy. That's why I bring a nutritious meal everyday. Well, aside from the cookies…" her voice trailed off as she looked down at the table. There were no cookies in front of her. "That's odd, where did they go?"

"In my mouth, into my stomach…want any other details?"

"No."

"Good." Swallowing the last bite of the chocolate chip cookie, Helga let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm dreading next block, Pheebs."

"What, Dance? I'm sure you'll come to love it. After all, that's all you ever used to…"

"_Used to _being the key terms. Just because I did ballet when I was little doesn't mean I do it now. Besides, I didn't even like it back then. Bob And Miriam tried to get me to dance at an early age so I could become as talented as _Olga._"

"But Helga, I do recall you liking it a whole lot. You have the ability to become a very strong dancer, what with all of the emotion that has to be put into dancing."

"Just forget about it, Phoebe! I hate the class already and nothing or no one will change my mind."

In a barely audible voice, Phoebe asked, "what about…you know, Arnold?"

"PHOEBE!" Helga whispered harshly, glancing over her shoulder nervously.

"Sorry, I mean…'Ice Cream.'"

Noticing Arnold and Gerald walking in the direction of their table, Helga smirked and spoke almost loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear her. "Please! If me and the old Football Head have to dance together even once, expect to be visiting me at the hospital."

Stopping in his tracks, Arnold looked straight at her, eyes narrowing a bit and with a playful smile on his face. "You didn't have to go to the hospital in fourth grade, Helga."

"Oh, put a sock in it, you dweeb! You think I actually wanted to dance with you? I was only trying to make you feel guilty for blinding me."

"And look who won that battle," Gerald jumped in, snickering at the memory. "You got _drenched _that night."

"Give her some credit, Gerald. She got me back again, too." Arnold smiled once again at Helga, despite the fact that Gerald was glaring at her quite angrily. "Still, Helga. I guess I couldn't have been that bad of a dancer. In fact, you weren't that bad either." Patting her on the shoulder lightly, he turned back to Gerald. "Come on, Eugene told me in the hallway that he wanted to show me his scars that he got this summer."

"Oh man, do we have to…"

"Gerald, come on," Arnold said sternly, then turned his head back to look at Phoebe and Helga. "See you guys next block."

"Ja, ne," Phoebe replied cheerfully, and then turned her attention back to the girl sitting next to her. "Helga? …Helga?" Waving her hand in front of her face, she got a bit louder this time. "HELGA!"

Startled by her friend's sudden shouting, Helga jumped just a bit. "Sheesh, Phoebe! What?!"

"Sorry. You were just in a deep daze."

"And that makes it okay for you to scare me half to death?"

"Well, no…but you weren't answering me, so…"

"Whatever. Just go throw this out," Helga demanded, pushing her empty milk carton towards Phoebe.

"Discarding." Phoebe rose up from her seat, and walked towards the trash cans at the opposite end of the cafeteria.

---

"Here we are," Helga mumbled to herself only a half-hour or so later. "Hell."

"Wow," Phoebe whispered in awe, looking around the enormous auditorium. "The auditorium is indeed very spacious. And oh my, that stage…this is going to be so much fun, Helga!"

"Glad you think so, Pheebs."

"Alright, everyone! You can all just take a seat anywhere on the stage," a young woman cheerfully instructed the class. "I'll take attendance when the bell rings."

"Helga!" a chirpy voice called from behind her. "What an ever-so pleasant surprise!"

"Oh, it's _you," _Helga muttered with clenched teeth. She turned around to face the girl, and forced a smile. "Hey, Lila."

"I had no idea you danced, Helga. But I just think that's oh-so wonderful. After all, dancing is one of my favorite hobbies."

"Lila, cheerleading isn't dancing."

She giggled girlishly, and began to walk past Helga. "Of course it is, silly. And even so, this class will help me to become the dancer I've always dreamed of becoming. I'm sure you'll do great in this class, too!"

Helga sighed out of frustration. "Stupid little…"

Her voice was cut off by the shrill sound of the bell, and she grunted as she made her way to the stage. Sitting next to Phoebe, she whispered, "and just when I thought this class couldn't get any worse, little miss perfect waltzes in."

"Don't let her bother you. Besides, 'Ice Cream' got over her a long time ago, remember?"

"Of course I remember, Phoebe! That was one of the best days of my life."

"Okay, everyone," the teacher called out. "Let's start. Aubrey Anderson."

"Here," a senior girl shouted out.

"Harold Berman." Silence. "Harold Berman…?"

"He probably got lost," Lila said. "I'm ever so sure that he's here, though, since I just saw him last block and all."

"Great, thanks," the woman smiled. "Michael Clark."

"Here." Helga glanced over in the boy's direction, recognizing his voice. It was the same boy who had pushed her buttons that same morning. He looked over at her, and opened his mouth to say something until he remembered her words from before. '_Leave her alone or she'll make you cry…leave her alone or she'll make you cry.'_

"Thaddeus Gammelthorpe…"

"Is here," the odd boy finished. "And please, call me Curly."

The teacher looked at him with curiosity on her face. "But, your hair's not…"

"Just…call me Curly."

She shook her head. " Alrighty then. Phoebe Heyerdahl."

"Here."

"Eugene Horowitz."

"Here."

"Oh man, that jinx is gonna be dancing? I actually feel sorry for him," Helga mumbled.

"Gerald Johanssen."

"Here."

"Rhonda Llyod."

"Here."

"Stinky Peterson."

"Here," the tall boy called out with his thick Southern accent.

"Lila Sawyer."

"Here."

"Arnold…uh…oh, that must be from when I spilled my tea…"

"I'm here," he laughed.

"Patty Smith."

"Here."

"And Sheena..."

"She's here, but she went to the nurse during lunch after she saw my scar," Eugene said apologetically.

"Oh, kay. Anyone I forgot?"

"Uh, how about the girl sitting almost directly in front of you?" Helga asked with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Hm…what's your name?"

"Helga Pataki."

Looking down at the attendance list, the teacher nodded slowly. "Oh, you're on the bottom and it's hand-written. I guess the office forgot to put your name on here when they were typing it up. I'm sorry."

"Whatever," Helga mumbled, "it's typical that I'm forgotten about again."

Studying the list and Helga's face some more, the woman's eyes lit up. "Oh wow! I remember you!"

"Huh?"

"Ms. Greene? Your ballet teacher back when you were just a little girl! You've grown so much, oh my gosh…"

"Oh, save it for the movies, skirt!"

Taken aback by this outburst, Ms. Greene sighed and shook her head. "But I see your attitude hasn't changed much. Oh well, I hope you're still just as talented as you were back then." Standing up from her seat, she walked closer to the stage. "Okay everyone, so as you know I'm Ms. Greene. And if you're not a dancer already, don't worry because by the end of this course, you'll be one…"

'_This sucks,' _Helga thought to herself. '_Someone just please get me out of this nightmare.'_

---

**A/N: So I got a little extra time on my hands, surprisingly enough, and decided to write chapter 2 a bit early. I've been trying to balance out everything I have to do equally, haha, but I hate to admit that I'm kind of a procrastinator. Anyway, thanks for everyone who left a review on the first chapter, and I hope everyone enjoyed this one. I'll be away starting Monday until that Sunday, so expect an update that following week. **

**Oh, and for those who didn't know, 'ja, ne' means see you later in Japanese. (:**


	3. Chapter 3

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"Don't worry! By the end of this course, you'll all be dancers!" Helga rambled in a mocking tone, slamming her locker shut. "Apparently that lady doesn't know half of the kids in our class."

"I'm sure everyone has potential, Helga," Phoebe simply stated. "I mean, nobody's going to be perfect. But I'm positive that after a few lessons or so, everyone will be pretty decent."

"Decent?" The blonde looked down at her friend quizzically. "Decent my ass."

Shaking her head slightly, Phoebe smiled. "Well, perhaps if no one else understands the material, you can help."

"Please. Even if these dorks worked with Mia Michaels, they'd still all be hopeless. Besides, the day I help anyone in that class is the day that Hell will freeze over."

"I'm sorry…who did you say?"

"Mia Michaels? Famous choreographer? She creates all these weird yet oddly good contemporary routines?" Helga said, as if everyone in the world knew exactly who Mia Michaels was.

"Hm," the Asian girl pondered, "I'm not sure who that is. I'm not surprised that you do, though."

Helga scoffed. "It's not like I watch those reality dance competitions or anything. I just…did a paper on her one time. That's all."

"A paper?"

"Yeah, that's right. A paper." She threw her backpack over her shoulder hurriedly. "Come on, Pheebs. Let's go to your house or something."

"Oh, um…actually, Gerald asked me before if I wanted to walk home with him. And then I have a ton of homework to do," Phoebe replied apologetically.

"It's the first day of school! What kind of monster gives that much homework on the first day of school?"

"I'm sorry, Helga. Maybe I'll call you later tonight, if I finish early enough."

"Yeah, sure. Ditch me for Tall Hair Boy…"

"Helga…"

"Pheebs," she smirked, "I know. It's no big deal…I can use the walk by myself anyway, I have a headache."

She squealed quietly, and hugged her best friend tightly. "Thank you so much! I was hoping you wouldn't get mad." She pulled back, and began to walk towards the exit. "Goodbye, Helga. Oh, and feel better!"

"See ya." Helga headed in the opposite direction, pushing the door with force and walking hastily outside. There was perfect weather outside…not a cloud in the sky, and completely sunny. She squinted due to the sun being directly in her eyes, and she immediately felt the bit of humidity. Sighing in discontentment, she started walking the long walk to her house.

"Helga?" a voice called from behind her.

She shrieked, since she was in a deep trance and was startled out of it. Spinning around on her heel, she saw the face that belonged to the voice that she always wanted to hear. "_What _did I tell you about creeping up on me like that?"

"Sorry…I just saw you walking by yourself."

"Yeah, I was. You got a problem with that?"

"N-no," Arnold stammered nervously. "I was just saying…I thought maybe you'd want someone to walk with."

"Well, Phoebe told me that Gerald-o was walking her home. Who else was I gonna walk with? Rhondaloid?"

"Well…I'll walk with you. That is, if you want me to."

She subconsciously began to smile goofily, and she spoke in a voice a little higher than her normal tone. "Um…s-sure, I guess." '_Stop it, you Neanderthal!' _"I mean, whatever. Let's just walk fast so I don't have to put up with you for too long."

An awkward silence came between the two of them, and Arnold decided to break it. "So, how was your first day of high school?"

"Pathetic. Yours?"

"It was better than I expected it to be, I guess."

Helga let out a hollow chuckle. "What did you expect it to be like, Football Head?"

Arnold shrugged, struggling to keep up with her as she kept changing the speed of her walking. "I don't know…I guess when you watch all of those movies that deal with high school, you kind of get the wrong impression, you know?"

"Not really."

He sighed slightly. "Like…I walked into the school today expecting to not find anyone I know, and I expected the seniors to pummel me as soon as they saw me. But, it turns out that most of them are nice and were willing to help."

"Don't tell me you thought there was a swimming pool on the fourth floor."

Arnold hesitated, and looked at Helga with a bit of confusion. "There is no fourth floor."

"Good job, Arnold-o. At least you aren't as naïve as most of the freshmen. And I can't believe the other grades think we're all that dumb. I mean, if someone came up to you and offered you an elevator pass for ten dollars, would you take it?"

"…There's an elevator?"

"Doi! But it's off limits to everyone unless you have a good reason for using it. Anyone else caught using it would get detention for however many days."

He laughed, looking down at the sidewalk as he kicked a fairly large pebble. "Wow, I didn't know that. It's a good thing you told me…otherwise I probably would've bought a pass."

Helga rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. "That's me…saving the world one stupid Football Head at a time."

Arnold smirked at her, shaking his head a bit. "You couldn't have left out the 'stupid Football Head' part?"

"Would you have rather Paste For Brains? Or maybe doofus?"

He sighed, stopping in front of her house. "You know, Helga…maybe one day you'll come up with some different insults."

Helga stopped at the top of her stoop, and looked back at him. "Huh?"

"You've been using the same exact insults since we were kids. I'd say it's time for some new material," he said in a normal tone, but the flirtatious smile was back on his face.

"Yeah, okay. Like I'm gonna take your advice about which insults I should use. In your dreams."

"I'm just saying." He smiled at her, and then waved. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yup, see ya, yutz." She opened the door to her house, and immediately ran to the window to watch him walk away until he was out of her sight. Sighing dreamily, she closed the curtain and turned around, only to come face to face with her dad. "A little personal space, _Bob?"_

"You're five minutes late! I told you to be home early because we have to leave soon!"

"Unless we're going to see Wrestlemania, or _maybe _a concert, I could care less."

"It's better! Olga's coming home for the weekend and we have to be at the airport at 5:30!"

"And you need me home in order to do that?"

"Well, someone has to make dinner for when we come home! Olga's a busy girl…she's probably exhausted from all of her work. We're not about to make her cook for us, although I have to say, I'm hungry for her apple pie…"

"And what do you expect me to make, Bob? Miriam forgot to do the grocery shopping again."

"Oh, that's right…" The man pondered for a moment, but then just shrugged. "Whatever, just make it good." He walked away from her, and proceeded to walk into the kitchen.

"Whatever you want, _Bob."_

"Oh, Helga!" Her mother's voice called out from upstairs. She spoke each word very slowly, and Helga began to wonder if she'd ever get to the point. "How was your first day of eighth grade?"

"I'm in ninth grade…"

Miriam looked surprised. "Really?" Helga nodded with annoyance. "Oh, well! How was it?"

"It was okay, until I got stuck with Dance class."

"Dance class? Man, Olga loved dancing. Still does. Half of her trophies in the trophy room are from her dance competitions. She took first place in all of them," Bob said proudly.

"I know, Bob. And her lyrical routine at the age of 14 brought the audience and judges to tears. I know. I've heard this story about a million times."

"All I'm saying, is that you better do good in this class. It's bad enough you insisted on quitting ballet, Olga…"

"It's Helga."

"…so you better work your ass off in the class, you hear me? If Olga can win every competition she entered, you can at least get an A in one class."

"Sure thing, dad. Even if I break both of my legs, I'll be sure to continue working hard!" Helga replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Good. Come on, Miriam! We might hit traffic on the way to the airport!"

Her mom and dad opened the door, and slammed it shut without even muttering a goodbye. She yanked the door open, and slammed it as hard as she could, just to get all of her frustration out. "Just what I need…a visit from _Olga."_

---

**A/N: **So, the trip was fun, but I missed this story, haha. I know nothing that earth-shattering has happened yet, but I'm trying not to move it that fast. Don't worry, things will get more intense. (: As for chapter 4, there's a good chance that I might have it typed up and ready to go by the end of this week. If not, definitely the beginning of next week. I just want to make sure I don't have any sudden changes of plotlines going on in my head, haha. Oh, and also, I just wanted to thank DarthRoden for helping me out when I needed a bit of advice on how to go about a few things. It really helped a ton. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

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"Day two of this hellhole. Only eighty-eight more to go," Helga grumbled under her breath as she took a seat on the auditorium stage.

"You're counting down the days?" Eugene asked incredulously. "The day this class is over, I'll be so disappointed. I mean, dancing is just so extraordinarily wonderful! Just think about all the energy…"

"Eugene, put a sock in it…"

Ignoring this, the boy continued. "I'm thinking about auditioning for the spring musical. I heard it's _Pippin. _He's one great character…I'd love to play him!"

"Oh, hold your horses, you dork! It's only September, for Heaven's sake!"

"And auditions are in December! I haven't even picked a song to audition with yet!"

Helga sighed heavily, shaking her head and turning her attention to her best friend, who was sitting beside her. "Save me, Pheebs."

The petite girl just smiled, and decided to change the topic. "So, are you feeling any better since yesterday?"

"Are you kidding? I get home, looking forward to just a little bit of relaxation, and what do you know? Big Bob tells me Olga's coming home, and that I had to prepare dinner for everyone for when they got back from the stupid airport."

"But I thought Olga always prepared the dinners. After all, she loves cooking…especially for her family, I thought."

"That's what I thought, too. Trust me. But according to Bob, she works too hard and she deserves a break," Helga explained in a mocking tone, then scoffed. "Miriam didn't even do the grocery shopping for this week. So I had to go to the store and buy _everything._ So after all of this, guess what? The dumb ogre complained."

Sympathy was evident on Phoebe's face. "What was the matter with the food?"

"Nothing. The steak was just too well-done for him. Nobody else seemed to mind."

"I'm sorry, Helga. How long is Olga staying for this time?"

"Just the weekend, thank God. I'll be free of her Sunday night. Until then, I get to hear an endless amount of stories about what it's like teaching the kids in Alaska." She rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "I actually feel sorry for them."

"Everyone, the bell rang! That means I need your attention," Ms. Greene instructed the class. "Now, we're going to start actual lessons on Monday. Keep in mind that I'm not expecting any of you to become amazing dancers overnight." The woman glanced over at Helga, who was doodling something in her notebook. "We're taking things slow, and I don't expect anyone to be perfect. But I do expect everyone to _try." _

A single hand rose, and Ms. Greene looked over in the person's direction. "Yes, Harold?"

"But I can't dance," the rather large boy whined. "I'm gonna fail."

"Nobody in here will fail unless they don't try. I can't emphasize that word enough. _Try. _I guarantee you that if everyone tries, nobody will walk out of here with a grade any lower than a B."

Lila's hand shot up. "Will we have to choreograph a routine?"

"For the final exam, yes," Ms. Greene nodded. "But we'll discuss that more as we go on. Don't sweat it, though. It'll be fun, I swear."

Helga sighed once again, taking her attention away from her notebook for just a moment. "I've got a question for you, lady. Do you honestly think any of these losers will be able to dance a routine even halfway decently, let alone choreograph one?"

Ms. Greene hesitated, and pursed her lips slightly. "I know you will, at least."

A cackle came from behind Helga. She swung around swiftly, looking the senior boy she had an encounter with the other day dead in the eye. "You got something to say, you dweeb?"

"Uh…me? No…I uh…Aubrey said something funny about our history teacher's hair…" Michael's voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat, glancing downwards at the stage.

Helga turned around, facing Ms. Greene again, "Shut your mouth, Greene," she mumbled. "Everyone here already knows that I danced, no thanks to you."

The teacher shook her head, and continued on. "Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about with you guys is clothing. Starting Monday you'll be changing everyday, just like gym class. You'll actually change with the P.E. kids this block and then come down here when you're done."

"What do we have to wear?" Eugene asked excitedly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. I'll let you decide exactly what you want to wear. Obviously nothing that would be too hard to dance in. No open-toed shoes, skirts, dresses, tight jeans, even more so loose fitting jeans, jewelry…you guys get the drift, right?"

"What kind of shoes may we wear, Ms. Greene?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Great question, Phoebe," Ms. Greene grinned. "Comfortable sneakers are fine, but what I would really recommend are dance shoes. They aren't too expensive, and I know a few places nearby that sell them. You'll come to see that they're actually very helpful when dancing." When she saw no looks of interest on anyone's face, she sighed. "Tell you what, guys. If you have dance shoes for Monday's class, you'll get extra credit towards your lowest grade throughout the entire course."

"Nice," Gerald commented.

"How many points?" Rhonda inquired.

"Hm…how does five sound? I think that's fair enough," Ms. Greene smiled.

---

"How long are you gonna be in there, Olga?" Bob grumbled irritably.

"Two hours, _Bob. _Oh, and I might try on some outfits, too," Helga replied sarcastically as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Well, just don't take all day. _The Wheel _is on tonight."

"I'll keep that in mind," she mumbled, opening the car door to let herself out.

"No more than ten minutes, you hear me?"

"Whatever." Helga slammed the door shut, and made her way into the store. She remembered it vividly from when she used to go there all the time when she was little. Making her way to the back of the store, she found herself staring at what seemed like a never ending row of nothing but dance shoes.

"Good to know that they haven't gotten much uglier," she muttered with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Helga?" a voice called her name from behind her.

"Arnold!" she gasped, taking a second to rid her nervousness before turning around to face him. "What, are you stalking me or something?"

"I could be asking you the same question," Arnold grinned, his eyes half-lidded. "You actually took Ms. Greene's advice to buy dance shoes?"

"Hey, it's extra credit. And I don't know about you, bucko, but I'd like to be as comfortable as possible in that class."

"I guess," he said simply, glancing around the store. "By yourself?"

"Bob's in the parking lot. He'd rather be shot dead than be seen in here."

Arnold nodded, picking up a pair of shoes and studying them for a moment. "Yeah, my grandpa's in the parking lot, too. I told him I'd only be about ten minutes."

"You can't really take much longer than that. I mean, look at them. They all pretty much look exactly the same. It's not that hard of a decision to make."

The boy chuckled as he slipped the shoes on to see how they fit. "So, do you still hate the class that much?"

"Doi," Helga rolled her eyes. "I swear, if that skirt makes one more remark about how I danced when I was younger, she's gonna have Hell to pay."

"I think you liked dancing more than you let on, Helga," Arnold smiled. "You looked pretty happy in that picture Sid found of you."

"Please, Football Head. You've never heard of a fake smile before?"

"It seemed like a sincere smile. Well, to me anyway." He paused, just to collect his thoughts. "I can tell when you're faking a smile and when you're not, you know."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." Arnold began to put the shoes back into the box, and tucked the box under his arm. "Your real smile is actually really nice. You shouldn't try to hide it."

Helga froze, and for a moment or two she was actually speechless. "I, uh…t-thanks, Arnold…"

Arnold smiled as he saw the light blush appearing on the girl's cheeks. "You're welcome."

'_You're blushing. Stop it!' _Regaining some control, the blush almost instantly disappeared, and the look on her face was quickly replaced with her usual scowl. "I mean…shut up, Arnoldo! Why are you acting so mushy all of a sudden?"

"Sorry," he answered, still smirking.

"You should be. You've been acting like a total creep lately. Sheesh!"

"Hey, Olga!" a loud voice came from the front of the store.

She turned her head, only to see her dad walking straight towards her. "What, _Bob?"_

"What the heck is takin' you so long? It's not exactly fun waiting on you hand and foot!"

"Funny, because it seems like I'm always doing that for you…"

"Watch the attitude, missy. You came here to buy shoes, not to stand here and talk to this orphan boy!"

Complete silence fell over the three of them. Helga's mouth dropped open slightly, and her hands fell from her hips limply. Her eyes glanced over at Arnold, and she saw the look on his face that she never wanted to see. All she saw was a mixture of pain, shock, and dejection in his eyes. The gleam that she saw in them when he was talking with her was gone. "Dad!"

"What'd I say?"

"Um…I'm gonna go pay for these," Arnold said in a normal tone, although Helga could clearly hear the sadness in his voice. "I'll see you at school on Monday, Helga."

She watched him walk away towards the checkout line, and again she felt like she had lost the ability to talk.

"Let's go, Olga. You're burning daylight."

Helga looked at him, hoping to see maybe just a little remorse on his face. But she saw nothing. She took the shoebox that she wanted to buy, and shoved it into the man's chest. "Screw you, Bob."

She walked away from him, not looking back once.

---

**A/N: **I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting this story so far. It means a lot. So, thank you. (:

The next chapter should be posted sometime early next week. I really do have a lot of summer reading to catch up on, but don't worry…I'm not abandoning this at all. Please review and leave any constructive criticism you may have. (:


	5. Chapter 5

_---_

"You seem really quiet, Shortman," Arnold's grandpa inferred as he pulled out of the parking lot of the store. "Is somethin' wrong?"

The blonde shook his head, fidgeting around with a knob to find a decent radio station. "Nah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

"Ya feel alright?"

"Yeah, it's just…been a long day. I'm glad it's the weekend."

The elderly man chuckled as he turned the volume on the radio down a bit. "When do you think I was born?"

"What…"

"Ya wouldn't stop talking the whole ride to the store. I might be old, but I still have some brain cells up here and I know when something's bothering you."

Arnold sighed, keeping his eyes focused on the dashboard. "I just had a little run-in with someone. Well, not a run-in, but…" His voice trailed off, and he raised his eyes a bit. "Grandpa, watch out for that pothole up ahead!"

"Oh, don't change the subject, Shortman…"

"No, I'm serious!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you…HOLY MOLY!"

Phil swerved to avoid the pothole, resulting in several horns being honked at him out of anger. Once he got back where he was supposed to be, he let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close one."

"You could say that again," Arnold muttered, still a bit startled.

"Why? You're young, you should have even better hearing than me."

He looked over at his grandpa, wanting to see if there was any hint of amusement on his face. However, it was clear that he was being completely serious. "Anyway…I went in and I saw Helga there…"

"That girl's still botherin' you?"

"Well, yeah…but she wasn't then. It was her dad."

Phil grumbled under his breath, "Big Bob Pataki, huh?"

Arnold nodded, and sighed slightly. "I uh, I think you probably have an idea of what he said…"

Phil remained silent for a moment, but then cleared his throat and spoke again. "Do you still want to be dropped off at Gerald's house?"

"Huh?" Arnold answered, taken aback. "Oh, um…yeah, please."

Pulling up in front of his friend's house, Phil hesitated before speaking up again. "You'll be home by 9, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

His grandpa nodded, and then let out a sigh. "Don't let what Big Bob said eat at ya, Shortman. I know they're watching over you, and that they're very proud of you."

Arnold smiled, and undid his seatbelt before reaching over to hug him. "Thanks, Grandpa."

"Anytime, kiddo." He patted his grandson on the back, and let go a few moments later. "Have fun, okay? I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, Grandpa. And thanks for the rides," he smiled once more before getting out of the car, and waved goodbye as he drove away. He walked up the steps to the front door of the house, and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently for someone to answer.

Moments later, the door swung open. "Hey, man," Gerald greeted.

"Hey, Gerald." They did their handshake, and Arnold stepped inside the house as Gerald closed the door behind him. "Where's your sister? She's usually right here as soon as I walk in," he smirked.

"She went to some sleepover, thank God," Gerald rolled his eyes. "She keeps trying to teach me what she's learned in her dance classes, so that I'll be as good as her."

"You think that's annoying? Oskar tried to teach me…some kind of dance I never even knew existed before. But he wanted me to pay him."

"How much?"

"Five dollars an hour."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." Arnold smiled as he walked upstairs to Gerald's room with him. "So, do you hate dance class, too?"

"If we do partner dancing, then I won't mind it at all," Gerald stated bluntly, a grin appearing on his face.

Arnold laughed and shook his head. "Leave it to you to say things like that."

"What? It's true. You've seen some of the girls in our class."

"Yeah, and we all know which one you're talking about."

The look on Gerald's face immediately changed, and Arnold could've sworn that he saw his face turn a shade of red. "I don't know what you're talking about, man."

Arnold rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. "Whatever you say, Gerald."

Sitting down on his bed, Gerald decided to take the focus off of him. "So, what about you? Do you hate the class?"

He shook his head. "No. I mean, I know a lot of people are complaining about it, but…our teacher is really nice. And who knows? It might actually turn out to be fun."

"…And there might be partner dancing."

"Would you shut up about that?" Arnold asked while laughing.

"Well, it _would _make dancing more fun, wouldn't it? I mean, unless you got stuck dancing with Helga or something."

Arnold hesitated, and looked at his best friend. "That wouldn't be so bad."

"Uh, are you okay, man?"

He looked at him with confusion evident on his face. "Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess when someone defends Helga I can't help but wonder."

"She's really not that bad, Gerald."

"Uh-huh. And neither is Rhonda when she's having a bad hair day. Man, you're not making _any _sense here."

Arnold sighed, and leaned up against the wall. Neither of them said anything for a good minute or two, until Gerald finally broke the silence.

"Wanna go over to Bigal's? Sid told me you get free fries with a burger."

"Sounds good to me."

---

"I see most of you have your dance shoes," Ms. Greene observed happily. "I'll take care of that at the end of class."

"Ms. Greene?" Rhonda raised her hand.

"Yes, Rhonda?"

"I was just thinking…since I spent a _fortune _on these shoes, shouldn't I get more than just five points for the extra credit?"

"Well, no. That wouldn't be fair to everyone else."

"You didn't have to spend a fortune on them, _Rhondaloid,_" Helga said sarcastically. "You're dancing, not going to a Debutante ball."

"Alright, alright!" the teacher yelled out in order to get everyone's attention. "We're gonna start today with something that'll hopefully be fun for everyone. In this class, we're going to be doing a _lot _of partner dancing…"

"What did I tell ya, man?" Gerald whispered to his best friend, a big grin appearing on his face.

"…and if you don't trust your partner, nothing will work out. So, I'm gonna split you guys up into partners, boy girl, boy girl. And then I'll explain what you'll be doing."

"Can we choose our partners?" Lila inquired politely. "I'm ever-so sure that if we're already comfortable with who we pick that this will run oh-so much smoother."

"Um," Ms. Greene pondered for a moment. "No. I don't want things to get too hectic. So, let's start. Harold and Patty, Mike and Aubrey, Rhonda and Curly…"

"Oh, hell no!" Rhonda cried. "You're not really going to make me work with this…this _thing, _are you?"

"You know you love me, Rhonda. Us working and dancing together will only make our bond even stronger," Curly smiled, leaning in closer to the brunette.

"Ew, gross! Ms. Greene!" Rhonda yelled, backing away.

"I don't wanna hear it. Sorry," the woman rolled her eyes slightly. "Moving on. Eugene and Sheena, Stinky and Lila, Gerald and Phoebe…"

Gerald took a glance at Phoebe, meeting her eyes. He winked at her flirtatiously, causing Phoebe to blush madly.

"…and Arnold and Helga."

'_YES!' _"Oh, criminy…"

"Okay, good…so that's all settled. Now, you've probably all heard of this before, but probably have never done it. It's called the Trust Lean. What you and your partner are going to do is actually quite simple. One person will be the catcher, and one will be the faller. Now, if you're the faller, you must maintain an upright position, and keep your feet together. Put your hands across your chest, and make sure to keep your body stiff. Are you guys following me?"

When there was no response, Ms. Greene took the silence as a notion to continue. "Okay. Now if you're the catcher, keep one leg in front of the other, and please, for all of our sake's, keep your arms extended at all times. When the faller falls backwards, it's your job to catch them safely. And as for the fallers, it's also your responsibility to make sure that the catcher knows exactly when you're about to fall. Any questions?" Once again, there was nothing but silence. "Good. So, I want you guys to find your partner, and begin. I'll be sitting right here in the front to make sure nothing happens, and just in case you guys have any questions."

Helga stayed in her spot, and only glanced up when she felt Arnold's presence. "I guess I'm stuck being the faller, because you just had to grow a few inches taller than me throughout the years, didn't you Football Head?"

He paused for a second, but soon regained his composure. "Oh um, yeah. I think that'd be the best way to go."

"And keep your hands where they belong, too. This isn't an excuse for you to grope me or anything."

"Helga!"

"I'm just saying, Arnoldo. I'm giving you a warning, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I…I guess."

Helga positioned herself in front of him, rolling her eyes as she placed her hands across her chest, "This is so stupid…"

"Um…" he started nervously. "You…will tell me when you're about to fall, right?"

"What, do you think I'm an idiot? I should be the one worrying about whether or not you'll catch me," she snarled.

Arnold felt butterflies forming in the pit of his stomach, but he wasn't sure why. He extended his arms, paying close attention to the girl standing in front of him. "Whenever you're ready."

She turned her head to look at him, and she felt a jolt pass through her entire body when their eyes met. However, she immediately covered any signs of it up with a scowl. "Don't rush me, Football Head."

"I'm…not."

Helga sighed, turning her head back around. "Okay, on the count of five I'm gonna fall, got it?"

"Got it."

"One…"

"Two."

"Three."

"Four."

"Five."

She leaned backwards, anxiously waiting to feel the touch of his skin on hers. It seemed as if it was taking ages…as if it was a dream. One of those dreams where you just keep falling and there seems to be no end to it until you wake up.

As if out of nowhere, the fire alarm rang causing Arnold to jump from being startled. It wasn't until he heard a _THUD _and an "OW!" that he realized that he had allowed his arms to fall back to his sides.

---

**A/N: **I'm a mood killer, sue me. (:


	6. Chapter 6

---

"Sorry, guys..." Ms. Greene started as the class filed back into the auditorium, "I completely forgot they were planning a fire drill today. Just go back and continue the exercise for a couple more minutes, and then we'll move on."

Helga glanced over at Arnold, who was trying his best to avoid all eye contact with her. "If you think I'm going through _that _again, you're crazy."

"I..." he sighed. "Sorry. I just got startled and..."

She scoffed, hopping onto the stage from where she was standing, sitting down and allowing her feet to dangle off of it. "Whatever."

Arnold hesitated for a few moments before repeating her same movements, sitting down only a few inches from her. "You're not hurt or anything, right? If you are I'll take you to the nurse."

"As much as I want an excuse to get out of this class for the day, I'm fine. I'm sure I'll have some bruises later, no thanks to you."

"You sure? It looked like you hit your head kind of hard...well, it sounded like it, anyway..."

"Arnold," Helga interrupted him, her voice much softer and gentler this time, "I'm serious. I'm fine. Don't worry so much."

He looked at her then, noticing the sudden change of tone in her voice. He smiled at her gently. "Good."

Helga looked up at him, as well, immediately noticing how close they were sitting next to each other. She suddenly tensed up, not knowing how to react or what to say. '_Just breathe...don't you dare lose your composure now.'_

"Why the heck are you sitting so close to me, Football Head?" she snapped at him, her voice going back to the way it was just as quickly as it changed moments before. "Sheesh, way to give me any kind of breathing room."

"Oh, uh...sorry. I didn't realize..." his voice trailed off as he scooted a little further away from the girl.

"Just another minute!" Ms. Greene called out to the class, eyeing the two blondes discreetly.

'_One more minute. Just enough time to apologize to Arnold about the other night.' _"Um, Arnold?"

Arnold glanced at her again. "Yeah?"

"Uh...remember Friday night when we were at that dumb store and then my dad came and..."

"Yeah," Arnold cut her off to avoid hearing the rest. "I remember."

"Well, I just wanted to, um..." her voice trailed off and her eyes shifted towards the ground. "say that...I'm sorry he was such a jerk. He...he shouldn't have said what he said and...I'm sorry."

Arnold studied her for a few moments, specifically noticing that she was being completely sincere. She was looking down at her hands at that point, until he put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look up at him. "Thanks, Helga. That...that means a lot."

She allowed just a slight smile to appear on her face, and she looked at her shoulder, mentally swooning. '_Say something, you idiot!' _

"Helga?" she heard his voice saying her name, causing her to instantly snap back into reality.

"Hey, I didn't say you could just put your hands on me, _Arnold,_" she yelled, practically shoving his hand off of her shoulder.

Arnold chuckled, smirking at her. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Alright," Ms. Greene began talking over the noise the whole class was making, "anyone who needs to get a drink or go to the bathroom, do it now because I don't want anyone to leave during the next lesson. Um...Helga, could I see you for a second?"

"What if I wanted to get a drink?" she muttered, watching everyone else rushing out of the auditorium.

"Well, do you?"

"No."

"Then come over here, please."

Sighing, Helga made her way over to where Ms. Greene was standing. "What?"

"I was just noticing how you and Arnold weren't doing the exercise after we came back from outside..."

"So you just call _me _over here because of that? It takes two to tango, lady. I figured you would know that."

"Well...it's not just that." She sighed, obviously trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. "I'm letting that slide...it's not that big of a deal. The problem here is your attitude."

"What attitude?"

"Yes. Since the first day of this class you've been coming in here angry and snapping at everyone. You barely pay attention when I'm talking to the class. I just..." she sighed once more before continuing. "I remember how talented you were when you were little. And I know you don't like it when I bring it up, but you were. Very much so, actually. But you just always hated it."

"Can you blame me?" Helga asked in annoyance.

"Well, I guess not. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, But what I'm saying is, I expect a lot from you in here. It's kind of clear to me that there's only about two or three of you who actually enjoy dancing. You can set an example for everyone else, Helga. I'm not saying you have to love it, but I'm really hoping you...at least try."

"So what you're saying is, you want me to be graceful and elegant when I'm dancing, and help everybody else when they need it, and create a simply beautiful routine for the final exam?" she asked Ms. Greene sweetly.

"Well, yes. That's pretty much what I'm saying."

"Not gonna happen."

"But Helga, I _know_ you're capable of it. Don't worry so much about your reputation, for _once!_"

"This has absolutely nothing to do with my reputation."

Ms. Greene was clearly getting frustrated at that point, but she tried her best to not let it show. "Fine then. Do what you want. I can't stop you."

"And if you mention one more thing about how good of a dancer I was..."

"Don't worry, I won't. Just think about what I said, okay? You have a good bit of talent if you're willing to work hard."

"Yeah, whatever." Helga mumbled under her breath, making her way back towards the stage.

At this point, almost all of the students had already entered the auditorium again. The amount of talking in the room was too much for Ms. Greene then, since she had become frustrated over the course of the last couple of minutes. "Alright, everyone quiet!" she shouted.

The whole class got silent, and Ms. Greene sighed in frustration. "I have a bit of a headache. We'll do the lesson we were supposed to do tomorrow. For the rest of the block, just...read the first couple of pages of the packet that I gave you on Friday. There won't be a quiz, but it'll be very helpful."

---

**A/N: **Gah, I'm so sorry for the delay in updates! It's really no excuse, but school's been hectic. I'm taking Physics, enough said, haha. But I'm on Fall Break now and even though this chapter is shorter than the others, some of the events will lead to the bigger events later on in the story. But yeah. (: Once again, I'm sorry. I will definitely try to find more time to update in the next week or so. Until then, please review.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: …**

**:D**

**Leave it to me to take seven months to finally update. I'm sorry! I've dealt with a very defiant computer, AP classes, school in general, blah blah blah...but I am _not _giving up on this story. And as I am typing this, my computer is lagging so much to the point where a part of me believes that I am not meant to finish this story. But I'm determined to. :) So after the long wait, here it finally is...chapter 7.**

"Who's this?" Ms. Greene asked cheerfully, pointing to the picture of a young football-headed boy taped onto a heart made of pink construction paper.

A 7-year-old Helga snatched it out of the woman's hands. "None of your beeswax."

The young teacher smiled despite the comment. "I know, I was just curious. But, I suppose curiosity did kill a cat, right?" Ms. Greene responded with a laugh.

Helga just stared, obviously not amused. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Does he know?"

"Know _what?_" the little girl asked impatiently.

"How you feel about him, silly." Ms. Greene smiled widely.

"Who said anything about me liking the dweeb?" It was clear that she was starting to feel nervous now. There was no way anyone else was going to know about this, no matter if they knew who Arnold was or not. "It was just...an art project, that's all."

"Uh-huh," the woman raised an eyebrow, not believing a word of it. "So why would you put his picture on the heart? You know, I was a kid once, too."

"Oh...my uh, my friend did that as a joke. I mean, why would _I _put a picture of this...this nimrod on here?"

Ms. Greene sighed, deciding to give up. "I don't know. Silly question, sorry." She smiled again, and motioned towards the exit door. "Are your parents here to pick you up yet?"

Without even glancing outside to check, Helga shook her head. "It's only been a half-hour since class ended. They're usually an hour late, remember?"

"That's right, I forgot." The teacher stopped to think for a moment before continuing on. "Well, feel free to use the studio for the next thirty minutes or so. You're free to choose your own music since everyone else left."

"I'll pass," Helga muttered to herself, sitting down in a seat and plopping a bag with her change of clothes in it on the floor. "I've been through enough torture for the last two hours."

Ms. Greene sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Your choice. I'll just be over here organizing everything for tomorrow's class. Great job today, by the way. Keep it up and you might even get a solo for the recital."

"Perfect!" she replied sarcastically before pulling out a pen and her pink book.

Ms Greene walked to the other side of the room, glancing over her shoulder and smiling at the sight. "I wonder what she's writing about," she whispered to herself, already knowing the answer.

* * *

"Alright, class!" Ms. Greene yelled over the sound of the bell. "Today's trust exercise is going to be fun...trust me."

"It doesn't involve falling into the arms of a complete and total _freak,_" Rhonda began asking while glaring over at Curly, "does it?"

Ms. Greene smiled. "Nope."

"Does it involve partner dancing of any kind?" Gerald asked excitedly.

"Sorry, not yet," she replied, still smiling. "I don't think you guys are gonna get this one, so let me explain. In this exercises, you guys will be using impairment goggles. And no, this isn't a lesson on why you should not drink alcohol. You'll probably wear these again in a health class in the next couple of years, but I promise, it won't be fun like this."

"Ms. Greene?" Lila called out. "Is it okay if I don't do this one? I've heard those goggles could be...well, ever so scary."

"Don't worry! You'll have a partner." She glanced around the room. "In fact, you'll have the same partners as yesterday." She stopped to think again. "Actually, yeah. You'll have the same partner for the rest of this class."

"Ugh!" Rhonda groaned. "Just my luck."

"I'm not complaining," Curly smiled widely.

"It makes sense," Phoebe stated. "Everything will run much more smoothly if we all stick with the same person for each lesson. That way, the chances of trusting your partner as time goes on will be significantly greater.

"Exactly what I was thinking, Phoebe," Ms. Greene smiled. "This exercise will actually be quite simple. Everyone in this room will wear the goggles, so don't think that sticking your partner with them will get you out of wearing them. It might feel odd at first, but trust me, even if your partner isn't there for you, I'll be watching everyone closely."

She started handing out the goggles to each pair. "Alright, listen carefully. Each pair will be doing this one at a time. The last thing we need is any collisions. You'll be starting on either side of the stage, walking to the other end, and then back to where you started. Keep in mind that you probably won't walk in a straight line. That's the main purpose of these goggles. In here, though, your partner just needs to make sure that you get to the other side safely, even if you swerve all over the place. You won't fall off the stage, and you won't trip over anything. Any questions?"

The only response she received was silence, which told her to continue on with the exercise. "Great! Let's start with..." She scanned the room until her eyes landed on Helga. "Arnold and Helga."

Helga groaned. "Why me?"

Arnold smiled at her as they made their way up to the stage. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You promised the same thing yesterday, Football Head, and I ended up falling because _you _couldn't keep your arms out, remember?" she asked, poking him in the chest as she did.

He rubbed the spot where she had poked him. "I said I was sorry. Besides, that was only because I got startled. I would never do that to you on purpose."

Her face softened and she continued to look him in the eyes. "I know." '_No, don't you dare start softening up around him again!' _"But if anything happens again, look out."

Arnold smiled at her again and gave her the half-lidded look. "Whatever you say, Helga."

Ms. Greene clapped her hands to get their attention. "Kay, enough flirting up there, you two! Who is going to wear the goggles first?"

At that comment, Helga blushed furiously, much to Arnold's surprise. '_Why is she blushing?' _he wondered to himself.

Before he could ponder that thought any longer, Helga snatched the goggles out of his hands, feeling a spark when her hand brushed his just slightly. "Let me get this over with."

And little did she know, Arnold felt that spark, too.

* * *

**A/N: So what will happen during that what will seem like a never ending walk? Will someone end up falling off the stage during the impaired goggles exercise? What does Ms. Greene have up her sleeve? Will Rhonda ever stop being so freaked out by Curly? Will the partner dancing start soon so that Gerald can get his wish? There's only one way to find out, and that is to keep reading! I know things are probably moving at a slow pace right now, but things will pick up soon enough. And whether you loved this chapter, liked it, hated it, thought it was okay, or whatever else...**

**REVIEW! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm baaaack, after only about, what, 2 years? I'm on summer break now, and I was lurking around the site reading various stories. I thought, "hey, I should continue my story that I practically abandoned!

So I am.

I feel like a horrible person for taking this long to update! But to be honest, I kind of lost my motivation for a while. As dumb as it may sound, after I was placed into a Helga/Arnold type of situation myself, I was basically handed inspiration...so let's hope the long wait has paid off.

* * *

"Does everything feel okay to you?" Arnold inquired after Helga had put the impairment goggles on.

"How do you think it feels? Everything's blurry and out of alignment, Arnoldo...just the way it's supposed to be."

"I know...but, I want you to feel as comfortable as possible."

Helga just scoffed at his statement before muttering, "it's not going to get much more comfortable than this, sherlock."

"Well, maybe after the first thirty seconds or so, it'll feel better."

She shook her head, rubbing her temples for a moment. "Football Head...do you have _any _idea how you sound right now?"

Feeling a blush creep up his neck and over his face, Arnold decided that perhaps it was best to just let the topic go. "R-right...sorry. So um...start walking when you're ready. I'm right next to you."

_'Hm, should I use this opportunity to relive the memories of April Fool's Day in fourth grade? I mean, after all, I really can't see straight. All I have to do is put my acting skills to use and pretend that I have worse coordination that I do in actuality. That way, he'll be forced to...'_

Helga's thoughts were cut off by Ms. Greene's voice calling out from the auditorium seats. "If everything is okay up there, I suggest you two start walking. You'll have plenty of time to flirt later, I'm sure."

Harold let out a roar of laughter, pointing at Helga and Arnold all the while. "That's the second time she called them out for flirting! You know what that means...!"

Although she couldn't see exactly where he was truly sitting, Helga recognized his boisterous voice instantly. "Just because I haven't pounded you since middle school doesn't mean I won't do it this year if you tempt me, you tub of lard!"

"Helga..." Arnold spoke softly yet sternly, "let's just do this, okay?"

Smirking to herself, the decision she had been trying to make moments ago was clear now. "You got it."

Taking just one step forward, Helga immediately stumbled purposefully, flailing her arms just slightly for effect. "Whoa, uh...this is harder than it looks."

Arnold placed his hand on her shoulder to ensure her that he was right there. "I figured. Just close your eyes and try to walk straight that way. Then everything won't seem so out of place."

"If you let me fall again, you'll never hear the end of it. You know that, don't you?"

"You're not exactly letting me hear the end of the last time you got hurt..."

"Well, I guess life's not always fair, now is it?" Helga closed her eyes as he suggested, but she was not planning on giving up on her scheme. "Let's try this again."

After only taking two more successful steps across the stage, she opened her eyes and was able to at least see that they were almost halfway there. "Ya know, these stupid goggles are actually starting to make me dizzy..."

"Are you okay? If you really don't feel well, I'm sure Ms. Green would understand." Arnold glanced outward into the audience to attempt to catch the teacher's eye, but he was stopped instantly.

"Please, I'm fine. I don't wanna be that one person who doesn't make it across."

"But I don't want you to get too dizzy that you faint or-"

"I won't. Besides, you did promise that you'd catch me if something happened. I'm holding you to that promise, bucko." She paused only for a second to think. "Just hold me while I walk to the end."

"H-hold you...?" There were different variations of 'hold' that Arnold could think of. Did she want him to carry her across? This brought back memories of...

_'April Fool's Day...' _Now, it was his turn to smirk. '_She's not getting away with it this time.'_

"You're not really feeling dizzy...are you, Helga?"

That voice. He had used it on her the night of the April Fool's dance when he had discovered that she was fooling him the whole time about being blind. Low, sultry...tied together with the gazes and a bit rough dips during the tango...it was enough to practically make her lose composure.

She couldn't do that now...especially not with all eyes on just the two of them.

"Of course I am, Football Head. And the longer you take to help me out here, the greater the chance there will be of me collapsing right now. Sheesh, you really have to learn to start keeping your promises."

"Sorry. This just seems a bit familiar to me. You feeling helpless and needing me to make sure you don't get hurt?" He put one arm around her waist before smiling at her. "Funny how history repeats itself like that."

Helga let out a nervous giggle against her will. "Yeah, uh...i-it is pretty funny, I guess." _'I almost forget how good it feels to have his arms around me...alright, keep it together...'_

"It's almost weird, actually. It seems to happen a lot to just be a coincidence." He tightened his grip around her, and lightly caressed up and down her waist just once, slowly and lightly enough to not allow everyone else to notice. "But, I'll take your word for it."

She felt her body shiver and her stomach do backflips as her love touched her like that. Once again, she was witnessing the "dark Arnold" come out. Needless to say, she enjoyed this side of him immensely...but now? With the whole class watching them closely with snide remarks probably on the tip of their tongues? "Arnold! What in God's name are you doing?"

Pulling her body a bit closer to his, he whispered in her ear, "you always try to pull a fast one on me. This is me showing you once again that two can play at that game, Pataki."

* * *

A/N: I always liked when Arnold's dark side came out. And this won't be the last time it happens in this story.

Did the rest of the class notice what was going on up there? Maybe, maybe not. But after this incident, a reader can only assume that things will only be getting more intense.

Let me know what you think and REVIEW!...please. :)


	9. Chapter 9

This could not possibly end well.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm…this is not something you see every day," Gerald mumbled to himself, shaking is head in disbelief.

Harold stood up from his seat in the audience, laughing uncontrollably despite the glares shot at him from Ms. Greene. "Look! Arnold's groping Helga!"

"If I didn't know any better, I would think he's enjoying himself up there!" Stinky nudged his large friend on the side, sending the both of them into even more hysterical fits of laughter.

Phoebe bit her bottom lip nervously, knowing that while her best friend was more than likely in all of her glory up on that stage, this was not the time and place for it. She knew this was only the beginning of the teasing coming from the rest of their class. "I'm…not quite sure that is what I would call groping…" she began meekly.

"Uh, Phoebe, I hate to break it to you, but our trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind friend Arnold has shown his bad side again," Gerald sighed. "I hope he at least knows what he's gotten himself into."

Rhonda dramatically placed her hand over her eyes. "This is absolutely repulsive."

"Don't worry, darling. When it's our turn to go up there, I'll hold you the same exact way!"

"UGH! Curly, do not even say that! You're making me feel sicker!"

"You cannot deny our love, cupcake!" Curly exclaimed as he leaned in closer toward the disgusted girl next to him, only to be pushed away before he could be anywhere close to her lips.

Helga was attempting to send death glares to the rest of the teenagers laughing in their seats, but she knew deep down that the look of bliss mixed with embarrassment, fearfulness, and confusion on her face could not possibly go ignored. It felt like she was three-years-old all over again, being made fun of by all of her peers for showing any other emotion to Arnold other than pure hatred. The only difference this time was that she was finding it impossible to simply shove him off of her and go show anyone laughing why they should always keep their mouths shut.

It petrified her when she realized that she had not felt this vulnerable in years.

"Arnold," she hissed through clenched teeth, "you can let go of me any day now."

The boy smirked deviously, and if Helga didn't love him so deeply, she would have slapped the smirk off of his face without a second thought. "I could…but am I wrong to believe that that's not what you really want?"

By now, the two were talking loudly enough for everyone in the auditorium to hear, and they subconsciously knew that. Despite this, their banter continued. "I don't know what you're talking about, or what has gotten into you, Hair Boy, but I swear to God if you don't let go of me right now…"

"What? You'll pound me? Show me what the consequences are for messing with Helga G. Pataki? Threaten me with something you'll actually go through with for once."

"Alright, you two! That's more than enough!" Ms. Greene called out, knowing that there was really no use at this point. She had discovered the downside of being a first year high school teacher: the students rarely take them seriously. However, there was no harm in trying. "Your time is up anyhow. Now I want—"

"And another thing, Helga, if you want me to let go of you so badly, why didn't you push me off of you a while ago?"

"Because I—I told you! I was feeling dizzy, and—"

"That's all bull, and you know it. Why don't you just admit the truth?" He was glaring at her now, and in all honesty Arnold did not know what was coming over him, either. He was never the type of person who would embarrass someone, especially in public. Sure, there was the April Fool's Dance, but they were young then. Besides that, he did not put her on the spot nearly as much as he was doing in this moment.

"The…truth?" Helga could only stare at him now. She was in utter disbelief that he was doing this. Okay, so she had told him how to felt on top of the FTi building when their neighborhood was at stake. After that, they both had decided that the confession and kiss were both done in the heat of the moment. Every once in a while Arnold would hint at the memory, but they would both simply either change the subject, or she would be sure to make it clear that she hated him. Now that she was put on the spot in front of everyone, she didn't know what to do.

"The truth," she repeated, more confidently this time. "You know what? Fine. I did ask you to hold me up. I wasn't dizzy at all. But that still wasn't an excuse to get all touchy feely with me, Arnoldo. You took everything I said the wrong way. But you're right, I felt fine. Completely fine, actually. In fact, I was beginning to enjoy the stupid walk. Then I…" Helga lost her train of thought, and she began to mentally freak out. "I…I just got a little scared, that's all."

"Scared?" Arnold raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I had a flashback of you dropping me because you spazzed out when the fire alarm rang during the last activity. And uh…you know, everything was a big blur to me and I was afraid of…falling…off the stage."

"Helga..."

"_What?"_ she sneered, realizing that her lie was terrible and only hoping that Arnold had bought it.

"Try again."

'_Shit, he doesn't believe me.' _"Criminy, Football Head! You asked for the truth and now I'm telling you! Now if you don't shut up, you better believe that I'm not even going to think twice about punching your lights out!"

"Go ahead."

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, or if the whole room really did suddenly become silent. "What?"

"You said you'd punch me, so do it. Like I said, you've been threatening to pound me since we were three, and you've yet to act on it. So do it. I dare you."

Helga stared into his eyes, looking for a glimmer of amusement, but there wasn't any. He was completely serious. Her mouth opened slightly in shock as she finally managed to move out of Arnold's grasp. She watched him cross his arms across his chest and narrow his eyes at her, and she felt a chill move throughout her body.

This was not the real Arnold. He would never do this to anyone…even her.

"Both of you! Stop it and get off that stage now before I have to come up there and drag you off! If you drive me to that, I won't hesitate to bring this to the attention of Principal Harris!"

"Y—you heard her, Arnold, let's just go." She began moving toward the steps, but Arnold stubbornly remained in his spot.

"You really think you're getting off the hook this easily, Helga? I know you. If you wanted to do something, you'd do it. Detention isn't a new concept for you."

"I'm serious, Arnold, if we get into any kind of trouble with the principal I will not do anything to weasel you out of it. I'll exaggerate the details if I have to, anything to get your stupid Football Head out of my sight for a few days!"

"Until you actually show more hatred toward me other than just cruel words, I'm not going to believe that you actually wouldn't want to go without seeing me."

Her body froze at his words, and it was at the moment that she fully noticed that all eyes were on her. Not Arnold, her.

There was no way she could hit him.

She looked him straight in the eyes, hiding every single emotion that was running through her. "Screw off, Arnold."

Ignoring the collective gasps of every student in the room, Helga made her way off of the stage and out of the auditorium. It wasn't until the doors slammed shut that everyone turned back around and whispered amongst themselves.

Ms. Greene cleared her throat, effectively silencing her class. "Arnold, come down."

Arnold blinked, feeling as though he was just in an alternate universe. He never dreamed of humiliating Helga like he had just done. It just wasn't in his character.

But he did, and everyone witnessed it. This wasn't something that people were just going to stop talking about a day later.

"Man, Arnold, what was all that about?" Gerald whispered to him when he finally got back to his seat.

"I don't know, Gerald. I don't know."

"It seemed like you know something that the rest of us don't. What the hell were you trying to get her to admit?"

Arnold just sat in silence for the minute and a half remaining of class. When the bell rang, he gathered his books together and attempted to make a dash toward the doors.

"Not so fast," Ms. Greene called after him. "We need to talk."

* * *

A/N: Just to clarify a couple of things before I am asked, Arnold IS aware of Helga's feelings. I know I haven't mentioned that in the previous chapters, but he does…it's not meant to come as a surprise, so I'm really not spoiling anything. I know he's dense, but he's not that dense, people! :P

Secondly, I know Ms. Greene seems like a horrible teacher in terms of disciplining the kids. But I took a realistic approach, I think. This is her first year teaching at a high school, and from my experience with teachers, first years sometimes tend to let the students walk over them. They want the students to like them, you know? Don't worry, she'll grow a backbone soon.

That is all. I also tried to make this chapter longer than the others, so I hope everyone enjoyed this one! Please leave feedback in your reviews! Thanks a bunch! :D


	10. Chapter 10

"I have to say, Arnold, I'm...quite surprised by your actions today," Ms. Greene paused, "as I'm sure you are too."

Arnold looked down at his feet, not wanting to make eye contact due to the fact that he was honestly ashamed at what he had just done up on stage. "Ms. Greene, I-I don't know what came over me up there. You're right, I did surprise myself. It's like I was a whole different person." He looked up to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry for the whole disruption."

Ms. Greene sighed. "To be completely honest, I don't think it's me you should be apologizing to."

He opened his mouth to respond until the auditorium doors swung open as if on queue.

"I forgot my books-" Helga started, attempting to move hurriedly past the two.

"Actually, Helga, you came just in time," her teacher cut in. "Come here for a second."

Helga scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "What is this, some kind of stupid intervention?"

"Ms. Pataki, _now." _

Sighing in defeat, Helga made her way back to Ms. Greene and Arnold. "_What?"_

"What happened during class today was unacceptable," the teacher started confidently, finally feeling as though she was finding her voice. "As a teacher I prepare lessons every day for my students and I expect to complete them by the end of class each day. I can't have you two...arguing or flirting or _whatever_ it is you're doing when we have things that need to get done-"

"Whoa, hold up a damn minute," Helga interrupted, raising her voice. "I didn't do anything. It was this football-headed dweeb standing next to me who started all of this crap! I wanted to get the stupid assignment over with so I could get away from him!"

"Oh, stop trying to act so innocent, Helga. You know you might've done a good job acting as Juliet in 4th grade but your dizzy spell up there didn't really come off as authentic," Arnold glared at her.

"The both of you need to stop!" Ms. Greene scolded. "Are you high schoolers, or are you both still in elementary school? Now...I'm not going to give either of you detention..."

Arnold and Helga both let out a bit of a sigh of relief until their teacher finished her thought. "...Technically."

"Technically? Crimeny, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't need to go to the detention room and spend 2 hours in silence and end up with the incident on your record. But I want you both to stay in here and tidy up the auditorium a little bit. Maybe take some time and solve whatever issues you have with each other. Tomorrow's going to be a better day. I don't want anymore arguing, holding up class, or anything else that you two might have up your sleeves. If it continues, I'll have the pink detention slips in my folder ready to give out."

Ignoring the horrified looks on both of their faces, Ms. Greene turned around and headed toward the doors. "I'll check back in an hour to make sure you guys did what you were told." And with that, she walked out of the auditorium with a smirk on her face, knowing exactly what she had just done.

Silence filled the room as Arnold and Helga both simply stood there, lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until about a minute later when Arnold finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Um...I guess I'll clean up the stage a bit."

"You don't have to tell me, Football Head. Just go and do it and make it snappy so we can both get out of here when the spawn of Satan comes back."

"Yeah? And what are you going to do Helga? Just sit back and watch me?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you smug little shit?"

"I didn't mean anything. You're the one making assumptions."

"Yeah well, I couldn't sit here and watch you for an hour. Unless I needed some help with my upchuck reflex."

They looked at each other dead in the eyes for a moment, testing each other's patience and searching for answers. The problem was, neither of them knew what answers they were looking for.

Taking one step closer to Helga, Arnold sighed. "What are we doing?"

She took one step back, afraid of how she would react if their bodies became close again. "I don't know, Arnold-o. Arguing?"

He inched closer again. "But why? Why do we always have to argue?"

"Why do you have to be an annoying shit?"

"Why do you always have to do this?"

Helga narrowed her eyes. "Why do you always have to ask me the same stupid questions?"

"Because I know you're not this cruel and rude. I know you're a good person deep down. I've said it since we were kids and I'll go to my grave saying it. Why can't you just drop the facade and show it?"

"You'll be headed to your grave soon if you don't stop coming closer to me, Football Head. Why can't you give me some space here?"

"Why can't you just tell me the truth?"

"Why is this so-called truth any of your business?" Helga stopped speaking the moment she realized the position they were in. With him continuously taking steps toward her and her backing up each time, she found herself with her back against the corner of the wall of the auditorium. "And why do you have me backed up into a corner?"

Arnold smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Feel a bit familiar?"

She bit down on her lower lip just a bit, feeling her walls come down again, slowly but surely. "What are you talking about now?"

"Well last time we were in this position, you had me backed up against the edge of the roof of a building." Arnold leaned in his face closer to hers. "Different, but still, I feel a sense of familiarity."

Turning her head away from his so she would not have to meet his gaze, Helga felt her knees start to become weak because of how close they were again. She could feel his breath on her face and if she did not have any self-control she would have thrown him down on the floor and gotten on top of him, kissing him like mad. But she knew she couldn't do that. "I-I don't know what's gotten into you today, but you...you better cut the crap or-"

"Don't threaten me again, Helga. We learned before that you wouldn't ever go through with it. Am I right?" He tilted up her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Helga felt herself tremble slightly under his touch. "I...I..."

"I just want to know one thing."

"And that is?"

"You say you hate me, yet every time you say you're going to pound me, you back down. You never back down for anyone else. You start trembling and get nervous when I'm close to you or when I touch you," he touched her arm lightly and heard an audible gulp come from the girl in front of him, "like that. But then you get angry again and continuously threaten me. It's a never-ending cycle. And all I want to know is why."

"You had to try to humiliate me in front of the entire class and now back me into a corner to ask me that?"

"If that's what makes your walls come down, yes."

"Well...well you're not getting an answer!"

"I think I deserve _something_, Helga."

"All you deserve right now is a swift kick in your ass, you...you asshole!"

"And there you go again!" Arnold could feel himself becoming more frustrated with her, but he didn't want to become as aggressive as he was before. "What will it take to get answers from you, Helga?"

"You're asking me questions that I don't have the answers to, Football Head. And you really need to back up a little bit, bucko. You're a bit too close for comfort right now."

"Nah, I don't think you really mean that." Arnold whispered. He leaned in a bit closer now, subconsciously allowing his eyes to fall to her lips. "Do you?"

Helga swallowed hard, noticing exactly where his eyes were. "I-I mean what I say..."

"Shh..." he hushed her, leaning in just an inch closer, allowing their lips to brush against each other. "For this one time...don't argue with me," he whispered against her lips.

Their lips connected in that moment. With her body and mind in a state of shock, Helga barely had any idea of what to do with herself. But as Arnold deepened the kiss and brought her body closer to his, she felt herself giving in to the kiss. They were both lost in the moment, kissing with a sense of urgency and passion that came as a shock to the both of them.

"Arnold," Helga let out a barely audible whisper as he began leaving soft kisses on her neck and jawline.

He brought his lips back to hers, smiling against them. "Helga."

With Helga's hands tangled in Arnold's hair and his hands finding their way up the back of her shirt to feel the soft touch of her bare skin, neither of them cared where they were, or how risky the behavior was.

They lowered themselves to the floor, Arnold hovering over Helga and bringing his lips down to meet hers once more. Neither of the two were aware in the slightest that the auditorium doors had just swung open. They were both so lost and unaware of things around them that they had no idea they were caught in the act.


End file.
